Just back from Christmas dinner with the founders of the Boulder Bookstore at their lovely house up in the C0lorado mountains above Boulder, Colorado, where I live.

At the beautifully-set table was an eclectic mix of 10 guests: a German girl, a Japanese woman, Kanjuro Shibata Sensei (the 89 year old bowmaker to the Emperor of Japan), and a South American….oh, and a Buddhist Boulderite (me), a Chicagoan (my friend), and three or four other random Americans. It felt a little like a meeting of the UN, only with more wine and four courses and a gift game at the end. More fun.

The evening was lovely, cozy, elegant yet relaxed; a visceral, 3D reminder that Christmas and the Holidays and Winter Solstice is about family, community.

That what’s wonderful here goes deeper and is more immediate than anything that could be owned or limited to one religion: we can all appreciate Christmas, whether we’re Christian or no.

~

In the spirit of Christmas Day, a traditional offering from our First Lady to the children at a hospital:

First Lady Michelle Obama visits Children’s National Medical Center in Washington D.C. to read “The Night Before Christmas”. Joined by daughters Malia and Sasha, along with dog Bo, the First Lady continues this tradition of visiting with patients which dates back to Bess Truman. ~ December 22, 2009